Crazy fractured English
Subtitle: two bestselling books in one
By: Richard Lederer
Publisher: Pocket Books
Published: 2009
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 211
ISBN-13: 9781439158715
Subjects: Lexicology; Humor; English language; Errors of usage
Other titles: Crazy English :; Fractured English :
Description: This volume contains two books. The author frolics through the logic-boggling byways of the English language, discovering the names for phobias you didn't know you could have, the longest words in our dictionaries, and the shortest sentence containing every letter in the alphabet. You'll take a bird's-eye view of our beastly language, feast on a banquet of mushrooming food metaphors, and meet the self-reflecting Doctor Rotcod, destined to speak only in palindromes.
Notes: Two titles in one volume.
Table of contents: title: [1.] The strange case of the English language. English is a crazy language; title: Good grief!; title: The department of redundancy department; title: Confusable English; title: Sesquipedalian English; title: [2.] The name is the game. What s in a name?; title: What s your phobia?; title: The secrets of ?nym?; title: Brand-new eponyms; title: Putting words in their places; title: Janus-faced words; title: A hymn to heteronyms; title: Retro-active words; title: [3.] Figuratively speaking. A visit to the language zoo; title: You said a mouthful; title: Violent English; title: [4.] Unmechanical English. Foxen in the henhice; title: Tense times with verbs; title: Spellbound; title: [5.] The sounds of English. Sound and sense; title: Beautiful English; title: Alliteration strikes the nation; title: Rhyme time; title: [6.] English at play. The play of words; title: Anagrammatical English; title: Doctor Rotcod s ailihphilia; title: [7.] The last word about words. The antics of semantics.; title: [1.] School daze. From the mouths of babes; title: Losing the human race; title: Science friction; title: Stop the music!; title: The revised nonstandard bible; title: Pullet surprising literature; title: [2.] It's a blunderful life. Poly-tickle speeches; title: A guide to sportspeak; title: Blessed bloopers; title: Gavel to gabble; title: Premedicated humor; title: Laugh insurance; title: Signs of trouble; title: [3.] Cold off the press. Headline headaches; title: Banner boners; title: Galley oops!; title: All the nudes fit to print; title: We stand korrected; title: Classified classics; title: [4.] Clear as muddle. Fractured english abroad; title: Brand new bloopers; title: Misdirected directions; title: Mrs. Malaprop lives!; title: When metaphors collide; title: How's that again?; title: [5.] Mechanical breakdowns. Under a spell; title: Back to grammar school; title: Those dang(ling) modifiers; title: Typographical terrors.